Part III is all about Imperials, my faction of choice. Unlike the other factions, Empire players have three fairly competitive play styles to work with, depending on player preference and how much they want to spend:

Swarm

TIE Swarms have been around since the origin of X-Wing. They've recently come back into favor, thanks to the Crack Shot upgrade. It requires running 6-7 TIE Fighters, which can be found in the Original Core Set and the TIE Fighter Expansion.

I won't be covering this option in this buyers guide, mostly because it's extremely limiting if you're trying to break into playing X-Wing. You'll have a bunch of ties and 1-2 Scum & Villainy ships, because they've got the most expansions with Crack Shot...

Palp Aces

If you've got close to $200 to throw at X-Wing and really want to play competitive Imperial, you can start out running some of the best lists in the game. Almost half of your budget, however, is going towards an expansion that is primarily for the Epic format of X-Wing, and therefore useless to the competitive X-Wing player, besides, mostly, a single upgrade card: Emperor Palpatine.

At the end of this post, I'll list a quick list of pick ups you'll need to run Palp Aces as cheaply as possible, but it isn't my primary recommendation.

Imperial Aces

This style of list is different from above because it has you trading a Palp-toting-shuttle for another hard-hitting (or hard-to-hit) ace in your list.

This is what I'll style my purchase recommendations towards, as it should be the cheapest way to break into Imperial, a good way to learn the variety of ships offered, and leaves you in a good spot to add more via additional expansions in the future.

Imperial Entanglements

Original Core Set (Red Core Set) $29.99

The basic, original TIE Fighters are the cheapest ship in the game. As such, it's always good to have a couple, in case you need to splash them in a list to make them fit. This would also be your first purchase, if you were looking to st art a TIE swarm, as it comes with two TIE Fighters.

TIE/fo Fighter Expansion $11.29

This is one of the very few expansions that is 100% playable out of the box. Taking that a step further, it also includes one of the absolute best pilots in the game - Omega Leader. Omega Leader, paired with the Juke and Comm Relay upgrades, is an absolute nightmare when flown well. Juke is a nominally useful upgrade in general, and the other TIE/fo pilots aren't completely useless... But the Omega Leader build is extremely effective for its cheap cost, and is incredibly easy to splash in most Imperial lists.

Omega Leader in yet another Arbitrary list...

Similar to how I always use Dash when building Rebel lists, I very rarely fly without Omega Leader when under the Imperial Banner.

TIE Defender Expansion $11.29

Defenders are very present in the meta right now. They're a bit expensive, but, thanks to the recent "fixes" that were released via the Imperial Veterans expansion, they have a lot of options, no real weaknesses, and can be splashed into most any list. We'll be focusing on them for this buyers guide. The notable pilot in this pack is Colonel Vessery. The Predator upgrade is also amazing in many lists.

Defenders, the new shiny... And probably staying for a good long time.

Imperial Veterans Expansion $25.49

As mentioned above, this fixed Defenders. It also comes with a really fantastic re-paint on a Defender and TIE Bomber model. For now, the Bomber is just a bonus, you're grabbing this for the pilot Countess Ryad and the new TIE Defender titles (especially the TIE x/7 title).

Total: $78.06

This is a strong start for an Imperial player, and can be easily customized. I'd recommend trying something along these lines, which gives you some experience with both types of Defender titles, and brings my favorite Omega Leader along for the ride...

The Imperial Aces expansion gets you access to the amazing Push the Limit, which would be my next recommendation, but opens up to your preference, more or less, from there on out. I will say that Imperial players strongly benefit from owning 1-2 StarVipers. Yes, they're Scum & Villainy ships, but they are currently the only way to get the Autothrusters upgrade, which makes things like TIE Interceptors or the Inquisitor's TIE major threats.

Emperor on Board

Alright, you want to jump in hard, spend a lot up front but having one of the most competitive lists in the game? I don't recommend this for newbies, but, if you reallllly want to, add the following two purchases to my above recommendations.

The base/pegs are perfect for your Lamda, too...

Imperial Raider Expansion $74.99

You are buying this for one reason: Emperor Palpatine. He's the best upgrade in the game, even if it doesn't initially seem like it when you first read it. Just trust me. "Palp Aces" is a meta unto itself.

You DO get the bonus "fix" for the TIE Advanced ship, and an additional TIE Advanced itself, but they're no longer in the meta, unfortunately, and mostly because they can't take auto-thrusters. Still, you can either sell the upgrades and make some money back, or hang on to them for potential later use.

Oh, and you get a really badass paperweight, in the form of the Raider model, which is only usable in the Epic gameplay format... Which isn't currently something you'll be doing.

Lamda-class Shuttle Expansion $22.49

While this is a fun ship in a couple ways, you're really buying it because it is the cheapest option that can take Emperor Palpatine (which takes up two crew slots). In 99% of "Palp Aces" lists, you'll see the cheapest pilot (Omicron Group Pilot) with the Emperor upgrade... And that's it. More than that, it spends most of the game staying OUT of combat, to preserve the Emperor, who is public enemy number one.

It comes with some decent upgrades, but, honestly, you're buying it to be a Palp-mobile.

Tuesday, September 20, 2016

This is the second post in the X-Wing Miniatures Buyer's Guide series, and it focuses on players that want to get into competitive X-Wing while playing for the Rebel faction. The first focused on the initial purchases a Casual Player should make -- read it here!

A Competitive Player is one that intends to bring their ships to tournaments, either local store events, or larger, official events that are recognized by Fantasy Flight Games (the company the puts out X-Wing... And a good number of other things I own/enjoy).

If you're a competitive minded person, OR think your only chance to really play a miniatures game is going to be during events (this is how I started out as a competitive player!), this post is to help you figure out what you need to buy to get started for as low a cost as possible, while still having the ships and cards you'll need to do well.

Things to Consider

Choose one faction to start.

There are the factions in X-Wing: Rebels, Empire, and Scum & Villainy. As you cannot create lists (X-Wing lingo for "teams") using multiple factions, you'll want to start off by buying ships that help you build competitive lists in your preferred faction. This guide will give recommendations for all three.

The cost.

Generally speaking, buying competitively can be a bit cheaper than the casual player -- you're hole intent is to attend events where others own enough ships to build their own lists, you only have to buy enough for you yourself to play.

On the other hand, FFG specifically makes it so some of the most important upgrades (cards you equip to pilots, to give them a variety of benefits) are only found in a specific faction -- when important, I'll address that during this guide.

To help, I'll be including prices for each item I recommend, strictly based off of Miniature Market's prices. Miniature Market is an online retailer for board games, and will almost always have what you're looking for in stock. THAT BEING SAID, as a competitive player, please consider purchasing your X-Wing at your FLGS (Friendly Local Gaming Shop), or wherever you'll be playing in X-Wing events -- you're relying on these folks to host events/purchase tournament kits, so show your support!

For the following sections, I'll break down my recommended purchases based on the primary faction you want to play. If you're planning on getting multiple factions, wait to see my Wave by Wave posts, as they'll identify which items are most useful to get first -- this post is specifically targeting people who want to save money and play competitively quickly.

With a Rebel Yell

You've chose to take the side of the Rebellion, and fly alongside some of the greatest heroes the galaxy has ever seen! To best jump into this faction, and take them to tournaments, you'll want to buy the following:

Original Core Set (Red Core Set) $29.99

Honestly, you could go either way for Rebels. From the Force Awakens Core Set, Poe Dameron and BB-8 are solid options. However, there is a newer version of Poe coming out in the Heroes of the Resistance Expansion Pack, and the Original Core set gives you Biggs Darklighter, the staple of many older Rebel lists, and one that's been seeing more play of late. Biggs' ability, honestly, will always be relevant, it's more the list you build to support him that may or may not be effective. The other card of note is the R2-D2 astromech, which is one of the few ways to gain access to shield regeneration. Honestly, though, you're not likely to run either in most of your lists, at least, not starting out.

Dash trying to skirt around some Bounty Hunter scum...

YT-2400 Freighter Expansion $22.49

In my opinion, Dash Rendar, the most expensive pilot in this pack, is the best Rebel pilot in the game. His ability is EXTREMELY nice for newer players, as he allows you to hit obstacles without much concern, and he can be run without owning too many other expansions... Though my suggestions include purchases that fully allow you to kit the ship out. The Heavy Laser Canon and Lone Wolf upgrades are also useful in general.

I'm not much of a Rebel player myself, but, when I do, I always fly a version of Dash. The current build for Dash is:
Dash Rendar (Pilot)

Outrider (Title)

Heavy Laser Canon

Push the Limit (from the A-Wing expansion)

Kanan Jarrus (from the Ghost expansion)

Engine Upgrade (from the Millennium Falcon expansion)

Ghost Expansion $39.99

This is an expensive ship, but you're really getting two for the price of one. And, better yet, the upgrades in this expansion will be useful in a variety of lists. An additional bonus is that the Ghost's model looks fantastic... even if it is a bit cumbersome on the table (you'll notice that mine had to be jury-rigged after the special peg broke, after I used the ship the first time).

Outrider (Dash) & Ghost (Lothal Rebel or Chopper pilots) lists are very prevalent in the current meta, and I don't honestly think you'll see them going anywhere. And you get a bit more tools for your future toolbox, due to grabbing this expansion early.

A-Wing Expansion $11.29

This ship is a fun little ship, though not the most balanced when it was initially released. The only reason you're picking it up now is because it's the cheapest and only in-faction method of getting one of the best upgrades in the game: Push the Limit.

A pair of A-Wings... with Dash.

Millennium Falcon Expansion $22.49

When it hit, it completely changed the game. So much so, that it eventually led to changing how tournament scoring was done. I won't go into that too much, but I will say this particular ship isn't seen terribly often in tournaments at the moment. There are some builds you can make, especially with the other ships I've listed above, but, for the most part, you are buying this expensive upgrade solely to get access to the Engine Upgrade upgrade. Sad, but the only other place to get it would be the Imperial/Scum Firespray Expansion pack.

Total: $126.25 dollars.

Yikes! In my opinion, Rebels are the most expensive group to make meta-viable, and this is mostly because their big lists require so many composite pieces. Most of the Rebel "out of the box" options were victims of ruling nerfs or shifts in the meta.

... And yes, there are Rebel lists that don't feature Dash, but not many considered competitive at the moment. A good player can make anything work, but new players will find it easier to stick with innately stronger lists.

Alternative opinion: If you wanted to break into two factions at once, Rebels and Scum & Villainy are your best bet. The Z-95, Y-Wing, and HWK ships are cross-faction, as long as you've purchased the Most Wanted Expansion. ... Though not as many of those ships are actually competitive in the current environment.

For the upcoming releases, the most exciting expansion will be the Heroes of the Resistance pack, which includes new Millennium Falcon pilots, new skills on the repeat pilots, and a host of new upgrades. It also has a new T-70 X-Wing model, with some pretty interesting pilots and a new Poe Dameron (Pilot Skill of 9, for two more points). Honestly, the only reason I'm not recommending it and the Force Awakens Core set are because you don't need to have two Falcons, and the original comes with Engine Upgrades...

If you have some thoughts on the above recommendations, or want to share some of your own lists, please use the comment section below! Next post will detail your options when utilizing the might of the Empire!

Monday, September 12, 2016

This Buyer's Guide for X-Wing Miniatures is going to be a series of posts. This post will focus on the casual X-Wing player, while the next focuses on someone wanting to get into the competitive scene. After that, I'll do a break down of all of the releases, in the order they released.

Things to Consider

The two Core Sets.

X-Wing began with the original Core Set, know known as the "Red" Core Set. It features the earliest version of the rules, and, more important, features the original X-Wing, with the most notable pilot being Luke Skywalker.

Right before The Force Awakens came out, Fantasy Flight Games (FFG) released the "Blue" Core Set, which features the newer X-Wing (and TIE Fighters), most notably featuring the X-Wing pilot Poe Dameron.

Which faction?

There are three factions in X-Wing: Rebels, Empire, and Scum and Villainy. As you cannot create lists (X-Wing lingo for "teams") using multiple factions, it's useful to focus on the faction(s) that interest you most, first... With some exceptions.

Some important upgrade cards can only be found in other factions -- I'll take this into consideration, when important.

The cost.

On a purchase-per-purchase cost, X-Wing is actually one of the most reasonably priced miniatures games on the market. That being said, it can feel a little daunting when you're getting started. To help, I'll be including prices for each item I recommend, strictly based off of Miniature Market's, an online store for board gaming, prices.

Long term goals.

Eventually, most X-Wing players tend to buy at least one copy of every release, if not more. This can seem daunting to a new player -- don't let it! Start with this post and we'll identify what you need to get started!

How I store my collection... It's more managable than it looks!

The Casual Player

-This is a player that is more interested in experiencing Star Wars dogfights that feature their favorite characters and put an emphasis on having fun with their game.

As a Casual Player, it's likely that you'll want to have enough ships that you can support a second player. This increases the cost slightly, but is manageable.

Red Core or Blue Core ($29.99)

To start, which movie did you like better, A New Hope, or The Force Awakens? Do you want to fly as Luke Skywalker in his T-65 X-Wing? Red Core. Did you think Poe Dameron was a total badass in his T-70 X-Wing, and want to give that a shot? Blue core.

Poe seems to have run into a bit of trouble here...

Eventually, however, you're going to want to get both. Each Core comes with dice and maneuver templates (and more, of course) -- having two sets of templates will make you much happier than having to constantly pass them back and forth, and you'll find that having access to more dice saves time. But, to start, base your decision on Luke or Poe.

Either Core is currently $29.99 on Miniature Market, though they have been known to go on sale from time to time. Even so, that's a pretty solid price for what you get.

Joining the Rebellion

Whichever Core you wind up with, you'll have two TIEs and one X-Wing. You've started your journey to the Dark Side, or you've taken the first steps towards overthrowing the corrupt Empire.

For now, let's focus on the latter.

A-Wing Expansion Pack ($11.29)

This little ship makes a great addition to the Rebel fleet. It's extremely fast and comes with pilots that have some extremely interesting abilities. Also, the upgrade Push the Limit is one of the most popular upgrades in the game, and the A-Wing is one of the only places its available right now.

My early Rebels... Not quite how I'd do it now.

Millennium Falcon Expansion Pack ($22.49)

It's iconic. It's pretty. It's flown by Han-freaking-Solo.

Also, it happens to have some amazing upgrades that you'll use across all of your lists (Engine Upgrade and Veteran Instincts especially), and you'll be able to cut your teeth on flying a large base ship. Bonus, because the ship has a "turret" for its primary weapon, it doesn't have to be pointed directly at the enemy it wants to shoot.

Warning: There is an upcoming expansion called "Heroes of the Resistance." It features the Falcon, as it appeared in the Force Awakens, and a T-70 painted like Poe's black and orange X-Wing. If you are not interested in particular upgrades, grab this pack at $33.99 instead.

The Might of the Empire

The Imperials have it a bit easier, in terms of getting started with Casual play -- each Core set comes with either two TIE Fighters or two TIE/FO Fighters! From there, you'd do well to grab the following:

TIE Fighter Expansion Pack ($11.29)

Sure maybe you don't need more TIEs right now. I mean, you've already got two, right? Well, consider this -- basic TIE fighters are some of the cheapest ships in the game, so you can easily fit multiple TIEs in a list. Additionally, the pilot Howlrunner, only available through this expansion, allows every allied ship within range 1 to re-roll and attack die! Ok, out of context, that might not mean much. Just trust me, she's a damn good pilot.

Imperial Aces Expansion Pack ($22.49)

While the TIE Interceptor expansion has one of the arguably best pilots in the game, the ship itself needed some help. FFG delivered that help via the Imperial Aces Expansion Pack, which includes two TIE Interceptors with all new pilots, two more copies of Push the Limit, and a unique title to Interceptors that really makes them shine.

Imperial Aces w/ Vader (who'll show up in future posts!)

A Conclusion, For Now...

If you buy the recommended ships above, you'll have spent roughly $97.55. For this money, you will have multiple options for both Rebel and Imperial lists, and will see a variety of play types, which can help influence your future purchases.

Keep an eye out for my wave by wave breakdown of each ship -- I'll give them ratings based on Casual AND Competitive play. Additionally, even if you never intend on playing competitively, the next Buyer's Guide article may still have some valuable information for you, especially if you're willing to spend more than the above on what is truly a fantastic hobby.

If you have any questions, comments, or Jedi Mind Tricks, leave them in the comments below!

Heyo! You'll notice there's been an extended hiatus on the blog... It was unintentional, but came about due to increased demands on my personal time, and, from there, a shifting of my interests.

I used to be able to write during work, but an increase in responsibilities means I'm mostly swamped and then pretty beat afterwards.

But there's a new area I'd like to explore, and see where it takes me.

Over the past couple years, I've really gotten into hobby board gaming. Games like Dead of Winter, Twilight Imperium, Fury of Dracula, and many more have been added to my collection over time, and I'm always looking for more.

Few games, however, have caught my attention like Fantasy Flight Games' Star Wars miniature offerings. I've become a prolific X-Wing collector, have recruited my brother into the fold, and we both attend local and not-so-local tournaments... And we do alright (my brother took 1st and I took 3rd at a recent local-ish event). I'm building up an Armada collection as well, though suspect it will be some time before I find a regular group. I'm also getting ready to launch an Imperial Assault campaign/find some time for the skirmish game.

Coming from all of these, I'm going to re-tool the blog a bit. Eventually, this will bleed into a design change, to make a bit more sense out of things. For now, expect to see X-Wing reports/articles, board game reviews, and maybe a couple of Game Night reports. Who knows.

Assisting me will be another avenue that's surprisingly caught my interest -- Instagram. I'm not popular or anything, but I do enjoy snapping shots of games and other things and throwing them up there. I'll be using these pictures to accompany my new posts... as you may have already noticed!

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Sure, the colors are prob Photoshopped, but still looks better than Man of Steel

Usually whenever I'm in the ocean or a pool the feeling of weightlessness and ease of movement reminds me of the strange visitor from the planet Krypton. The height of Summer should be spotlight on sweet soul music and the superhero powered by hope and the same sun that will likely give me skin cancer if I don't keep applying the 50 SPF. Hope, I say.

Batman fares better in Gotham like New York "below Fourteenth Street at eleven minutes past midnight on the coldest night in November" according to Denny O'Neil. Maybe that's why I heard the Batmobile sucks in the new Arkham game and the identity of the Arkham Knight is gag worthy. No spoilers from me.

So, Superman keep us cool and calm in these days of record breaking heat and political idiots.

Thursday, June 18, 2015

Super hyped for video games in November. Never going to have time to play them, but Fallout 4, Star Wars: Battlefront, and XCOM 2 are three of my favorite franchises gut punching my wallet in another five or so months. And a possible Persona 5 drop somewhere there too...

I'd like to do a nerd-gush on Fallout 4 and all the news that has dropped soon... And I'd also like to commence re-skinning the blog, though now I'm torn between Star Wars or Fallout...

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Marvel has lost sight of their readers. More than ever. they have become an event driven market, eschewing all else to bring the next big thing down the pipeline, as often as they can, with no more interest in telling a coherent or interesting story than an Expendables film (if you enjoy films like that, you're in luck!).

I've been on the fence about the event setup. On one hand, some of them are actually interesting, and have lasting changes. On the other, there are really terrible stories that arbitrarily change favorite characters to fit some new demographic (usually to fit in with the Cinematic Universe).

Being a Spider-Man guy, the most recent event I read was Spider-Verse. It was The Expendables: Spider-Man edition. It had some good moments, some good characters, some shittily arbitrary character killings, and a fading promise to change things forever for our friendly neighborhood arachnid.

But it didn't. The only "lasting" change was the death of characters outside the 616 universe. And that lasted all of three issues after, because the Marvel Universe has come to an abrupt... And strangely arbitrary, halt.

Marvel is getting it's first official "reboot" to it's continuity. In honor of that, all the current series are going out on a high note -- wait, that's not right. What is this shit? Amazing Spider-Man ended with a completely mis-written Black Cat becoming the BBEG, and everything else just grinding to an unfulfilling halt. The last villain Spidey fights is an abortive story featuring ex-Thunderbolt Ghost.

Ok, maybe that's a fluke -- damn it! Spider-Man 2099, what is this shit? You finally have a semi-interesting arc and some relationship development... And your story just freaking ends? Did... Did no one tell the writers that the universe was ending? Was it a surprise? How can you not even attempt to give serious character resolutions? Beating the bad guy of that particular issue doesn't count!

I don't even see Spidey 2099 here...

... Apparently, if you don't read two specific Avengers series, Secret Wars just kind of happens. These stories you wanted to see fulfilled, the characters you wanted to follow further, well, tough shit. Marvel doesn't care about that, it's time for the NEXT BIG EVENT!

I'm more disgusted than that time Doc Ock was making moves on MJ while in Peter's body. Or that time Peter walked in on Aunt May and Marvel decided to give us a splash page of old people humping. Or that time...

... You know what? As much as I tote myself as a Marvel fan, I'm not impressed with Marvel at all lately. One or two good titles doesn't cut it. Constant events aren't enough. Cut that shit out and go back to writing compelling, character-driven stories that are both super heroic and relateable. Stop... Stop everything else. Just stop.

Marvel, stahp.

Going forward, Secret Wars is marginally interesting because the new status quo; whatever emerges from this ugly, mismanaged DC-knockoff of an event, might give me some things I want, and have wanted for years as a reader.

Here are some of the things I'd like to see follow this tepid fading of my favorite characters, and if I don't see some of them, the things that may cause me to lose interest in another goddamn reboot:

1. Peter and MJ back together.

The "breakup" was an all-time low for Spidey comics. The return of single Spidey has not benefited story telling in any way, and instead devalued marriage as an institution in Marvel comics -- something they've done as often as possible.

Bonus if they take the storyline where Spidey is a dad. One of the greater sins of the Clone Saga is the fate of their child, who is stolen and then... Completely forgotten? Wait, what? Seriously?

It would be especially poignant for me, who will be raising a little girl. The possibility of watching a little May Parker (assuming name isn't changed) grow up alongside my daughter would be especially touching.

... 'Course, that would require Marvel to let their characters age. Because storytelling is hard outside of a vacuum.

2. Bring back Ben Reilly.

Ok, I have said this at every turn, and at pretty much every event. My wish was granted for all of three issues in Spider-Verse, sort of. And then they freaking killed him again.

... Uhg. Go to hell, whoever planned that one out. Null points for originality, do not pass go, do not collect your paycheck for ruining this fanboy's dream.

3. Let the MU age.

Tied to one, but letting real time pass in the MU, even at a slower rate, would be something I'd love to see. I have decades worth of Spidey comics, where the hero is 20-something. He used to be in high school, and some of the best stories were about Peter dealing with the things that come with age.

4. Stop with the constant events.

This isn't going to happen, but Marvel is going to find out that their constant money-grubbing strategy of inter-connected titles that criss-cross through events isn't going to work. It failed miserably in the '90s and, while they've definitely learned from it by keeping most events behind a unique, solo-running title book, they have been circling that whole of repeated mistakes for awhile.

5. Don't try to cram the old MU's timeline into 8 months.

DC's NU52 reboot tried to shuffle DC's timeline to fit a very truncated schedule. It was one of the weakest parts of the reboot, and every time they referenced something from "before," it served only to confuse (and annoy) readers.

Marvel has announced the new universe will start eight months after the events of Secret War. Why? Because storytelling is hard, and Marvel has become lazy. Seriously.

I'm worried they are going to try an keep the things they don't want to retell in those eight months. Things to refer to that really happened in the old MU, but the writers don't want to bother with in the new MU.

6. Don't retell old storylines.

If you're going to make us suffer through a half-assed reboot, after a half-assed event, don't offer us half-assed copies of classic stories! They've already been written, you gorram hacks, and we don't need your slight "surprise" twist.

If only...

Do I expect this wish to be met? No. No I do not. We are going to get recycled garbage for years, because why else give us such a lackluster reboot? I'd have more respect for what they were doing if they DID hit a reset button, at this point. Start from square one. New origins, new everything, but keep it new! It worked for the Ultimate Universe... Right up until it became over-inundated with events (which, honestly, had many more interesting ramifications than any of the 616's events).

7. Don't change a damn thing with Spider-Gwen.

Seriously. Just let this infant series pick up where it left off, and ignore all the rest.

... Of course, that won't happen. Which is another slap in the face from Marvel: "Hey, True Beleiver! Here are a bunch of new series! And some of them are good! Bahaha just kidding, they're only around for an arc or two, way to waste more of your money on our connected universe model, jackass. Excelsior, nerd."

Rant done. I'm going to go start Secret Wars and sigh at my stupid addiction and inevitable hypocrisy. See you on the other side, Marvel.